Inheritance from Sephardic Jews to İzmir Cuisine: Boyoz

Sephardic Jews, as you know, is an expression used to describe the Jews who were expelled from Spain at the end of the 1400s. When faced with pressure to change their religion in Portugal, one of the places they migrated to was the Ottoman. Undoubtedly, this society's contributions to the Ottoman and then to Türkiye are many, and only one of them is the boyoz...

Culture carries traces of different societies and traditions, from music to cuisine. Of course, there are products specific to society; but some arise as a result of interaction. Boyoz is one of the concrete examples of this interaction... 

Boyoz, like Şambali, is a registered flavor unique to İzmir. Boyoz, written in Spanish bollos, is the plural of bollo meaning "little loaf". Boyoz is a type of pastry consumed on the way to work in İzmir. Of course, it is also in the breakfast tables on the weekends. Frankly, I thought of decorating with tomatoes, olives and cheese while taking the photo. On the other hand, the pleasure of eating boyoz alone is different, so I just shot it like this. There are also those who eat it with boiled eggs. But I think the best accompaniment for boyoz is Turkish tea...

There are different stories about the history of the boyoz, but the agreed point is that it was inherited by Sephardic Jews. I think you can find it in Türkiye only in İzmir and the surrounding cities. The most common type of boyoz in bakeries, patisseries or peddlers is the one you see in the photos. There are those who add tomatoes or other products to it. My suggestion is this, the simple ones. There are also some that are sold as "oily" or "regular" in some places. If you are hungry and the boyoz is hot, I suggest you try the oily one. Normal ones in other conditions will be better.

I suggest you try it with tomatoes, cheese, but especially with tea.

I did not take a boyoz to any of my friends living outside of İzmir. It's not selfish, don't get me wrong. They are produced daily and are much better to be consumed immediately. If you consume boyoz that has been waiting for a day, you are likely to dislike it. Therefore, I recommend that you consume it for breakfast or while skipping lunch.

For another Jewish work in İzmir: The Historical Elevator Tower